West Brom and Blackburn Rovers in race to sign Ipswich Town outcast | OneFootball

The Baggies are interested in a sensational return for goalkeeper Alex Palmer.

West Brom have moved quickly at the start of the summer transfer window.

The Baggies kicked off their spending under James Morrison with the addition of forward Barney Stewart from Falkirk, then announcing the arrival of Liverpool defender Carter Pinnington, although the former Reds man will originally be placed into Albion’s U21’s setup for development.

Albion's third and latest signing is of exciting Chelsea youngster Jimmy-Jay Morgan.

The England U20 international, like Stewart, has penned a four-year contract at The Hawthorns, with Albion spending an up-front fee of £1.3m, while add-ons could take it to as high as £4m.

It’ll be a surprise for Baggies fans to see the club starting the transfer window in such proactive fashion, with Morrison clearly keen on getting fresh faces into the building as early as possible, so they can have a full pre-season and shoot out the traps from matchday one.

Of course, despite three quick signings, the work is far from done for this Albion squad, with many more players needed to bolster each department and ensure the club has a strong chance of finishing towards the top end of the Championship table.

And the next port of call for Albion could well be in the goalkeeping department.

Max O’Leary signed a new three-year deal at The Hawthorns after impressive showings since joining in the winter transfer window, while academy graduate Josh Griffiths is reportedly finalising an exit from The Hawthorns to move to Championship rivals Stoke City.

Griffiths’ impending exit will have to be replaced, and the Baggies are considering a sensational swoop for a shot-stopper who was on the Albion books as recently as 2025.

It would be a signing that would spring so much joy around The Hawthorns ahead of the 2026-27 season, with Albion exploring the possibility of a move this summer.

As per a report by journalist Steve Tudgay, West Brom hold an interest in bringing Ipswich Town goalkeeper Alex Palmer back to The Hawthorns this summer.

The Baggies are believed to be exploring the possibility of a summer swoop, with the 29-year-old falling down the pecking order behind Christian Walton, while the Tractor Boys are now displaying an interest in Newcastle United’s Nick Pope, which could push Palmer even further down the goalkeeping chain.

Tudgay, posting on his X account, admitted that Albion had not progressed into advanced talks over Palmer just yet, but that interest is there, while they are expected to face competition from Blackburn Rovers, who are now being managed by former Baggies boss Tony Mowbray.

It has been confirmed that the Black Country outfit are in the market for a new shot-stopper, with their search bound to intensify as Josh Griffiths nears a permanent switch to Stoke City.

It leaves Albion with only Max O’Leary as a senior option between the sticks, with Morrison eager to address the situation quickly and add further competition into that department.

West Brom fans would love to see Alex Palmer return to The Hawthorns

While Max O’Leary stepped into the role of being West Brom’s number one at a difficult time and impressed, you would find it difficult to see him holding down the number one shirt if Alex Palmer returned to The Hawthorns.

The former Baggies academy graduate broke into the first-team picture back in 2022 and quickly established himself as one of the top goalkeepers in the Championship, with his commanding presence, ability to organise a backline and flash reflexes helping him go on to land a Premier League move to Ipswich Town.

Palmer has to consider himself very unlucky to find himself in the position he does, but the Baggies could well be the beneficiaries, with Albion having the prospect of having such a quality shot-stopper on their books at Championship level.

It would certainly be a signing that would spark so much joy around The Hawthorns, with Baggies fans optimistic that a promotion push could be possible with such a reliable player in between the sticks.

Of course, interest from Blackburn will be a concern, but Albion would hope that they would be at the front of the queue given Palmer’s long-standing association with the club and connection with the supporters.